Walking mouth and the case of the littles
âThis is killin me Davey!âJack exclaimed, pacing the empty lodging house. âRacetrack been gone all night and he still ainât back yet, that ainât like himâ
âHeâs spent the night out before, whatâs the difference?âHe asked. Jackâs jaw almost fell from his face as he gaped at the boy.Â
âThe differenceâHe spat, âIs that heâs supposed to tell me where heâs going! Instead, he ran like someone lit a fire under his ass!â
Daveyâs eyes fluttered towards the ceiling and he took a deep breath. âLower your voice when youâre talking to me, Jackâ He couldnât see him but he could feel the gears shifting in Jackâs head.
âAnd what if I donât?âJack pressed, âHuh? Whatâre ya gonna do about it?â
He said nothing and counted back from ten in his head. Jack just wanted a fight, he didnât have to give in.Â
âExactly, ainât gonna do shitâ
But boy was he good at pushing his buttons. He abandoned his countdown at five and instead pulled Jack in by the collar of his shirt. The boy stumbled forward and Davey would have felt bad if he wasnât fuming.
âShut. Up.âhe said through clenched teeth. Jack squirmed in his grasp but he just held him tighter.
âThe walkin mouth is tellin me to shut up?âJack smirked, âThatâs richâ
Any ounce of control Davey had snapped. His hand flew from the collar of Jackâs shirt to his jaw and he gripped it. His blunt nails dug into flesh and he pulled his chin up so the two were eye to eye. His body felt like it was on fire and his hands were trembling a bit but he was furious.
âWhat the hell Daveyâ!â
âShut up!âhe snapped. He hummed in satisfaction when Jack reluctantly closed his mouth.
âItâs my turn to speakâHe said, chest heaving. âWhen I say lower your voice with me, you lower your voice. Iâm here to help you, I could be at home or at the courtyard at school but I am here. I know youâre scaredâhell iâm scared too, but you catching an attitude is not helping anyone. I know your first instinct is to lash out but I can promise you if you pull that shit again that you just did I will walk out that door and never come back. It didnât feel good Jackie, it really didnâtâ
At this point he had loosened his grip on the boys jaw to the point where he was just holding it. And Jack leaned into the touch, matter of fact his whole body leaned against Daveyâs and went slack. Davey clicked his teeth and wrapped his arms around Jackâs frame, pulling him as close as their bodies would allow.
âIs this what you needed?âHe asked. Jack pulled his face up into the crook of his neck and nodded. They were still for a few moments before Jack let out a quiet sound and his body began to tremble. Davey felt hot tears hit his neck and he frowned.
âOh JackieâHe said in that soft tone, the one only Jack got to hear, the one he had taken for granted. In response Jack whimpered and balled up his fists in the material of Daveyâs shirt.
â âm so scared DaveyâJack whispered, Davey felt him hiccup, â âm so fuckin scared, I just want him to come homeâ
âI know Jackie, I knowâhe hushed, âHeâs gonna come backâ
âI fucked upâJack said after a few beats. He pulled away quickly and rubbed at his eyes.
âHow?âHe asked.
âI canât keep doin this to youâJack said, âLike you said I-I lash out and I treat you in a way that you shouldnât beâ
âHow should I be treated then?âHe said, raising a brow. âHumor me Kellyâ
âLike youâs the king of New YorkâJack said, âYou should get flowers and chocolates an-and I should be nicer to you-â
âIt sounds like you want me to be your beauâHe teased. Jackâs face flushed scarlet and for once he looked bashful.
âI thought you already wasâJack said quietly. Now it was Daveyâs turn to blush.
âOhâHe said eloquently.
âI like you DaveyâJack said. âYouâs smart, got a good head on your shoulders. You donât put up with my shit. I like that when I push you push back twice as hard, ya know? You put me in my placeâ
âHuhâHe said, he wanted to say so much more but it was like he couldnât move his mouth.
âPlease say more than thatâJack begged.
âSo you like me because I make you treat me with respect?âHe said slowly.
âI mean yes but thatâs not it!âJack insisted. âLike you said, youâs here now. Not at the schoolyard,not at home with ya family. You coulda just soaked me earlier but you...you talked to me, you made me understand why iâm wrong. Not many people can do thatâ
âOkayâDavey said.
âOkay?âHe echoed.
âYeah, okayâHe said. He could feel the tips of his ears burning but he wasnât giving in that easily.
âCan I kiss you?âJack said, although he looked very confused.
âWhatâs with the face?âHe asked instead.
âIâm um...Iâm kinda used to uhâŚâJack said, gesturing vaguely.
âYouâre used to people swooning for you?âHe asked. Jack nodded helplessly.
âIt takes a lot to make me swoon Kelly, youâre gonna have to work for itâHe said with a wink.
âY-yeah of course DaveyâJack said. âBut um...are we on the same page here?â
Davey decided to take pity on him and grabbed his hand, âCâmereâ
Jack shuffled a few steps forward and Davey leaned in. Every fiber in his body was telling him to stop, that heâd never done this before and to think. But to hear Jack gasp and feel his legs go weak was a power rush. He planted his hands firmly on Jackâs waist and tried to match what he was doing. And every teacher that Daveyâs had will tell you that heâs a fast learner. Once they had a steady rhythm he pulled Jackâs hips closer and relished in the tiny squeak. Before things could go any further he pulled away and smirked as Jacks lips tried to follow his.
âYer evil DaveyâJack panted, resting his head on Daveyâs chest.
âI like you too you idiotâHe said, hoping he didnât look as rough as his voice sounded. âBut youâre not off the hookâ
â âm not?âJack whined. âWhy not?â
âYou gotta prove youâre gonna treat me with respectâHe said, âNone of that shit you pulled earlierâ
âAnd how am I gonna do that?âJack asked.
âWell we skipped a few steps but how about we start with a date?âHe said.
âOr I can take you up to my penthouse and show you how sorry I am?âJack said wiggling his brows.
âOr you can keep your pants on and rejoice in the fact that youâve got an able left handâHe scoffed.
âA dirty joke from Davey?âJack said, holding a hand to his chest âWell color me surprisedâ
âShut upâHe said rolling his eyes and pushing Jackâs shoulders. âShouldâve left after your mouth started goingâ
âYouâs hot when yer angryâJack said already moving closer.
âIncorrigibleâHe said shaking his head, but he didnât push him away this time.
âI got a lot of lost time to make up forâJack said and brought one of Daveyâs hands up to kiss. âNow if youâll have me we can still go up to my penthouse-â
âJack-!â
âTo talkâJack said with a smirk, âThatâs what people do ainât it? I wonât touch you Davey, promise. Iâm gonna romance you the Jack Kelly way sweetheart, youâll never know what hit youâ
âAnd heâs backâHe said under his breath. âDonât sweetheart me Kelly, we both know it doesnât suit meâ He wanted to be serious but he couldnât help but smile at the look of determination on Jackâs face.
âAlright thenâJack said, âIâll find something that suits thenâ
âHave fun with thatâ
âIâm gonna do it!â
âI donât doubt you JackieâHe chuckled, âJust think of something original, yeah? Nothing thatâs been used on your other beausâ
âAinât been no other beausâJack said, âJust one dame and you Davey, youâs the only one who got close enough, youâs the real dealâ
He couldnât help the gasp that slipped past his lips. Hearing those words made his body run warm and his heart skip a beat or maybe two, was he even breathing?
âIâve got the walkin mouth speechlessâJack said with a smile, a genuine smile. Davey suddenly had the urge to kiss those smiling lips, but he controlled himself.
âBut you...Iâve seen all those people falling at your feetâHe said, âyouâve got dames busting out of their corsets for a chance with youâ
âDoesn mean I want them DaveyâJack said shaking his head, âI just wanted youâ
âYouâre a romanticâŚâhe said in awe.
âTook you long enough to find outâJack said rolling his eyes, âIâm sweet on you Davey, I dunno how many other ways I can say thisâ
âNo no, itâs not youâHe said quickly, âitâs just...this is different...I-no one has ever been um⌠âsweetâ on meâ
âWell thatâs a damn shame because you are beautiful, so damn beautifulâJack said. Davey wasnât expecting it but hearing that shocked him to his core. His hands clenched at his side and his body went ridgid.
âAha thatâs the oneâJack said, Davey could hear him smirking. âYou like being called beautiful.â
âShut upâHe said pathethically, he felt embarrassed. It was silly to get worked up over something so simple but here he was on the verge of tears because Jack Kelly called him beautiful.
âHeyâJack said, placing a hand on his cheek. âYou donât gotta be so shy Davey, Iâll call you beautiful âtil the day I die.â
âBut iâm so plainâThe words slipped out before he could think about them.
âAinât nothin wrong with bein plainâJack said, âFlowers and birds and buildings and the sky is plain but theyâs still beautiful. You got such pretty eyes and yer nose scrunches up when yer thinkin and you bite yer lip when youâs nervous and you look so beautiful when yer smilin-â
âJack stop it before I cry and it gets awkward for both of usâHe choked out.
âAinât nothin wrong with cryinâJack said, âJust means I need to let you know youâs beautiful more often, maybe one day youâll hear it and youâll smile insteadâ
âFor someone whoâs not good with words you sure know what to sayâHe said with a sniffle.
âI only know what to say when thereâs something worth sayinâJack said with a shrug. âYou make my brain workâ
âYour brain works all on its ownâHe said rolling his eyes. He brought his hand up to cover Jacks and pulled him close until they were nose to nose.
âI think I wanna stay the nightâHe whispered, âI already brought Les home, my parentsâll just assume iâm hereâÂ
âI think I want you to stay tooâJack whispered back, âIâll be a perfect gentleman Davey, Iâll treat you how you deserveâ
âI just wanted to test youâHe chuckled. âYou treat me fine alreadyâ
âBut I donât treat you fineâJack said, âyou told me that, donât take it back.â
âI wonât thenâHe said, âI also wonât object to seeing Mr. Jack Kelly act like a gentlemanâ
âIâll start right nowâJack said with a cheeky grin. He pulled away and cleared his throat. âMr. Jacobs, would you do me the absolute honor of letting me hold your hand?â
âImpressiveâHe said taking his hand, âYou used correct grammar and everythingâ
âI learned that from bein around MeddaâJack said bumping his hip. âI can talk fancy too if thatâs what you likeâ
âI donâtâHe said. He took the initiative to continue when Jack raised a brow. âIâm around people who talk fancy all day, I like the way you speak, itâs charmingâ
âCharming?âJack said, wiggling his brows, âFor sure?â
âFor sureâhe mimicked and laughed at the surprise on Jacks face. âWhat, you think I just talk like this? I got an accent too Jackie, âm just better a hiding itâ
âDear lord if I wasnâ tryin to be a gentleman we would be up on that penthouse right nowâJack said with wide eyes. âI think thatâs the most attractive thing thatâs ever come out of your mouthâ
âYou like it when I talk like you?âHe giggled.
âHell yeah I do DaveyâJack said, âWhereâve you been keepin that?â
âIn my back pocketâHe said with a wink, âMy ma doesnât like it when we talk like this,neither does the school but it just feelsâŚâ
âRight?âJack said.
âYeahâHe said, âFeels right, just like bein here with youâ
âAnd iâm the romanticâJack said rolling his eyes.
âItâs not me bein romanticâHe said, âJust telling the truth, I like spending time with youâ
âAnd I like spending time with youâJack said, âWhich means, you should be my beauâ
âNope, still gotta earn thatâ
âDamn it!âJack said, âreally thought I had ya this timeâ
âOf course you didâhe said squeezing his hand, âWe really gotta thank Raceâ âThank Race?âJack said, âFor what? âm gonna kick his ass when he shows upâ
âIf I didnât almost hit you for worrying we would have never gotten to this point!âHe laughed, âLook at Race being a matchmaker even when heâs not physically hereâ
âWait wait, almost hit me?âJack said, âyou were gonna hit me!â
âI was thinking about itâHe said, âI was only going to do it if you hit me firstâ
âI would never hit you!â
âYou pushed me into a streetlight yesterday!â
âWell it ainât my fault you tripped over the curb!â
âUnbelievableâHe said, âWe just argued and made up and now weâre arguing again, does it ever end?â
âI think that might just be a part of our charm, beautifulâJack said with a goofy grin.
âAlso I was meaning to tell you this earlier but someone had an attitude and wasnât thinking straightâHe said pointedly. âYou said our boys have been all over, right?â
Jack nodded.Â
âBut have they been to Brooklyn yet?â
âNoâJack said quickly, âAinât no one allowed in Brooklyn except Race-ohâ
âYa see?âHe said, âRacetrack is fine. If heâs not here then the only logical place he would be is Brooklynâ
âI still donât see how him and that Spot is friendsâJack muttered, âainât a good bone in that kids bodyâ
âI bet people say that about you tooâHe said with a smile, âItâs all about perspective Jackie. Who knows? Spot may be sweet to himâ
âSpot Conlon?âJack blanched, âSweet? I bet he kicks puppies for funâ
âPerspective Jackie, Perspectiveâ
-------------------------
Race couldnât help but giggle at the sight in front of him. The big bad King of Brooklyn holding a tiny boyâs hand as they walked back to the lodging. They apparently called him Shadow, he was tiny and quiet and stuck close to Spot from the first moment he got there. He wondered why the Brooklyn lodging took in so many children, it didnât seem practical. Back in Manhattan the youngest in the lodging was Lesâwho was now tenâand he only stayed there once a month. This little boy had to about five, it made his heart ache. Far too young to be selling papes, it looked like he still sucks his thumb.
As the day progressed it seems not only Shadow, but all the littles were drawn to Spot. The minute they walked in it felt like he was wading in a sea of children. Instead of brushing them off Spot laughed and hugged each and every one of them individually, there had to be at least ten of them. Race watched in awe as he lowered himself to the floor and the kids did the same. He met Blancoâs eye and he walked over.
âTheyâre always like thisâ addressing a question Race hadnât even asked.
âItâs like an orphanage in hereâRace joked, Blanco simply shook his head with a smile.
âBoss has a soft spot for childrenâHe said, âAny kid who needs a place to go usually ends up here. He breaks his back for them honestly, and most of them donâ even know it. He wanâs to keep it that way, ya know? Give âem the chance to be kidsâ
Race felt his heart swell and he couldnât even doubt the love he felt right now. He waited until the children eventually dispersed and made his way over to Spot.
âRacer! âm sorry that took so long-â
âMy god iâm so in love with youâhe said. Without a word he had pulled Spot down the hallway and pinned him to a wall.
âRace-â
âWanna marry you SpotâHe said, planting a kiss on his neck. âDon know how weâs gonna do it but âm gonna marry you. Gonna get us a nice house where no one can bother us and we can adopt all the littles you want-â
âRacer!-â
âWeâs gonna have a nice yardâtilt yer headâgonna give you life you want even if i ainât a dame-â
âTony!âSpot gasped, pushing at his shoulders. âI ainât mad about what just happened, but where the hell did that come from?â
Race felt his cheeks heat up and took a deep breath trying to slow his breathing. âYouâs just so good with the littles it made me feel funnyâ
âFunny enough to almost nail me against the wall?âSpot said incredulously.
âShitâHe winced, âI didnâ mean to do that it just...I dunno, I guess it made me realize how much I love youâ
âYouâs a funny one for sure RacerâSpot said, âremind me not to play patty cake with âem or nothin before you do somethin indecentâ
âI said I was sorryâHe whined, âI ainât gonna kiss you in front of the kids or nothinâ
âYouâs strong tooâSpot commented, âDidn know you had it in youâ
âWhat?âhe asked, tilting his head.
âYou dragged me down the hall and pinned me to the wallâSpot said, âAngel, my feet wasn touchin the groundâ
âOh shit!âHe cursed. â âm sorry, I just-â
âI ainât never said I didnâ like itâSpot smirked. âJust be careful and don do it too often. Iâm still gone for you but my kids come first, they get jealous when I ainât payin attention to themâ
âWouldnâ have it any other wayâHe said nodding dopily, âbut I should be gettin back soon, Jackâs probably havin a fit an makin Davey lose his mindâ
âI got respect for himâSpot said, âCanât no one make Jack Kelly shut up like he canâ
âBelieve me, they both know itâHe said, rolling his eyes. âI just wished they get their heads outta their asses and get together all readyâ
âYou,me and all of New YorkâSpot said, âIâll walk back with you, lemme just let Hotshot know that iâm leavinâ
Race nodded and waited by the front door. It took Spot a little longer than expected but he emerged with an apple and Shadow trailing behind him.
âAlright letâs goâSpot said. Shadow immediately grabbed onto his hand and they were out the door. A few minutes into the walk Race felt a tiny hand grab onto his, his heart melted as he looked down to see shadow smiling at him. Spot was smiling too.
âHeâs the toughest one to crack but, he approvesâHe said. Race smiled and gently swung his hands urging Spot to do the same. Soon enough shadow was giggling between them as he was lifted and swung back and forth. Race wanted to paint this image in his head forever, it was a sight he could definitely see himself getting used to.












